Alleged scammers deny charge

Lebogang Mosikare | Tuesday May 31, 2016 15:11

 

The accused, Moabi Sebiletso and Moses Maphika, allegedly told Kgomotso Butale to take P24,000 from Dumela Filling Station where she was employed and hand it to them.

Giving evidence when questioned by the prosecutor, Mengistu Chigala, investigations officer, detective sergeant, Fela Phirinyane said on July 8, 2015, he was assigned to look into a case in which money was stolen at Dumela Filling Station under dubious circumstances.

He said he questioned Dumela employees and from his investigations found that Sebiletso and Maphika were given the money belonging to the filling station by Butale (then Sebiletso’s girlfriend), who worked there.

“Butale was pressurised by Sebiletso to give him her employers’ money since they were lovers at that time.  She believed that Sebiletso and Maphika would then make the money increase. 

She did so under the belief that the accused would then give her back the P24,000 to return to her employer,” said Phirinyane.

Phirinyane added that after he completed his investigations, he opened a case of obtaining by false pretences against Sebiletso and Maphika, but did not charge Butale.

When cross-examined by the accused’s attorney, Chakalisa Gunda, Phirinyane reiterated that had it not been the influence and pressure from the accused persons, Butale would not have taken her employer’s money and given it to Sebiletso and Maphika.

“My investigations revealed that Butale was pressurised by the accused, especially Sebiletso who was her boyfriend.  I, however, never found any suspected stolen money from Sebiletso,” said Phirinyane.

Gunda put it to Phirinyane that after Sebiletso takes the stand to defend himself from the charge levelled against him, if at all he has anything to answer, he would tell the court that Butale was never his girlfriend, but his cousin.

Added Gunda: “I also put it to you that Butale stole the money from her employers and is now trying to falsely implicate my clients”.

Gunda also told the court that there was bad blood between Phirinyane and his clients from the time they used to transport passengers between Francistown and Ramokgwebana border where Phirinyane was once stationed.

“Phirinyane is not the right person to be investigating this matter because of his previous relationship with the accused,” said Gunda.

The case took an interesting twist when Gunda asked Phirinyane why he did not slap Butale with a theft charge for taking her employer’s money.

Phirinyane agreed with Gunda that Butale was supposed to have left the money she made that day in the company safe and not have taken it.

“Yes, I am in full agreement with you that she stole the money, but I did not charge her because I felt that she was pressurised by the accused to take the money,” said Phirinyane.

Phirinyane also agreed with Gunda that the proper procedure that he was supposed to have followed was to have charged Butale with theft and later turned her into an accomplice witness.

Gunda will file his submissions on May 31 and the state will file their response on June 2.

The principal magistrate will then deliver the ruling on June 3, 2016.